Local authorities have powers to promote social, environmental and economic well-being within their administrative areas.  They also have a range of statutory roles and responsibilities relating to land use planning, minerals, waste, education, transport, land reclamation, pollution and land drainage.  All of these are relevant to the purposes and interests of GI.

Recreation, biodiversity, landscape and flood risk management have long been core elements of Local Plan policy and considerable work is already undertaken in the identification of areas of opportunity and targets and should be built upon.  Examples of this work include:

• SW Regional Nature-Map;
• Rebuilding Biodiversity Initiative;
• Biodiversity Action Plans;
• Communitiy Forest Plans; and
• Catchment Flood Management Plans.

Increasingly regional policy and decision-making play a critical role in setting local agendas.  It is at this level that GI principles, including its creation, enhancement, funding, and long-term management need to be embedded to ensure local delivery.

GI provision will need to be considered at a strategic level in terms of the on-going work of the Unitary Authorities in preparing policy documentation and strategies.  Fundamental to any policies or initiatives either local or regional is that they be deliverable, and should be underlain with a delivery programme including details of funding sources, implementation and future management.

A robust and coordinated set of regional policies, together with community strategies, will provide the necessary framework and inform a wide audience to unlock the full potential of GI.

Further detail of policies and strategies can be found in the following sections:

• Regional Level Policy and Initiatives
• Sub Regional/Cross Boundary Level Policy and Initiatives
• Local Level Policy and Initiatives